Cover Art

Credits

Director: Greg McLean Starring: John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Nathan Phillips, Kestie Morassi Screenplay: Greg McLean Country: Australia

Based loosely on the notorious backpacker murders committed by Ivan Milat, and more recently by Bradley John Murdoch, Wolf Creek presents us with Ben (Nathan Philips), a Sydney-sider travelling across Australia with Brit backpackers Liz (Cassandra McGrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi). For the most part everything runs smoothly until predictably (I mean that in the nicest possible way – this is a horror film after all!) their car kicks the bucket just outside Wolf Creek National Park, and local man Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) comes to their aide. You can tell from the get go where things are going…

Wolf Creek follows the same basic premise as it's predecessors, but it's the execution that sets it apart. You know what's going to happen, but Wolf Creek gives it to you in a way you aren't expecting, when you aren't expecting it. It's continually playing on the viewer's expectations. Based on the global reaction to this film, I thought I was in for an experience similar to the Texas Chainsaw remake; an enjoyable one, but overrated in terms of shock value. Man, was I wrong. With the expectations set optimistically low, I was genuinely disturbed by the brutality and ruthlessness in which the latter sections of the film played out. While not as explicit or persistently violent as so many American efforts can be (*cough*Devil's Rejects*cough*), Wolf Creek soars ahead of such films by creating a very raw and incredibly intense experience through realism and minimalism. What plays out at the end of a fairly lengthy chase sequence has been seared into my memory, and shocked me far more with so little than the entirety of Rob Zombie's recent trash-fest.

The dynamic between our three protagonists is totally believable. They all exude their own individual charisma and you warm very quickly to each of them. Any preconceived notions of horror film stock characters can be thrown out the window, because each of the three is portrayed with an extremely well developed sense of naturalism. But it really is John Jarratt who dominates this film. From his first appearance on screen, he automatically commands attention. His Mick Taylor is so well presented that you really do love him for a while, even though you know exactly what he is beneath it all. A friend of mine was so surprised by his initial performance that he thought (and half hoped) he'd walked into some sort of special screening where he came and helped them out and sent them on their way, the film ending on a happy note. But then of course reality sets in and he becomes a genuinely frightening presence. The harrowing ordeal that follows is made even more so by the performances given. You wear down as they wear down. Sure, there are a couple of moments where you question the logic behind certain decisions, but these are forgivable in the long run, as I can't bring a single horror film to mind where I haven't questioned the motives of particular individuals, and in the bigger picture it's only a minor misdemeanour (the video camera sequence was a little prolonged though).

Visually, Wolf Creek is stunning. The whole film was shot in Hi-Def and later transferred to 35mm, and outside of a couple of brief shots, you would never have known. The wide open shots of the Australian outback are incredible to look at, and at the same time provide the film with the ominous feeling of isolation and the harrowing reality of the situation ahead. Cinematographer Will Gibson has done a fantastic job, and never misses a beat. It's always good too when you get a filmmaker from an art background, as they generally have a great grasp on image composition and how to express things best visually and Greg Maclean is no exception. It's also great to see through the extras on the disc that, being from the art background, he isn't particularly precious or overly poncy about anything. He knows what he wants and how to get it and remains down to earth about it all.

There's also an interview with John Jarratt that clocks in at around half an hour taken obviously from a British screening of the film which is fascinating to watch as you can clearly see the extent of Jarratt's character work that went into Mick Taylor. It's like watching a completely different person.

As I said, there's the audio commentary, you also get the international trailers and T.V. spots from the UK, along with trailers for Switchblade Romance and an interesting looking film called Dead Man's Shoes. There's also a preview clip of an upcoming American horror called Cry Wolf, which I suspect was only really attached because of the vague 'wolf' linkage.